Recommended Posts

I hope you are all enjoying the many benefits of being a member of our community. This is a little something I've put together for both our new and returning members in hopes of making everyone's experience here an improved one.

While browsing After Silence's many forums, you might come across a board title and spot a very commonly used abbreviation - 'TW.' This stands for 'trigger warning.'

It is imperative that when starting a post, you take the time to consider whether the content may unintentionally trigger someone else. It could be the making of a general statement or describing the type of trauma you experienced, or it could be the repeating of something said to us - someone else perhaps has heard similar. We all understand how triggers work - they are unexpected and sometimes cannot be helped.

Either way, the effective use of trigger warnings will allow others to determine whether they are in the proper headspace to read/respond to your post. I do feel that if we all know how to add these trigger warnings to posts, we are advising caution and others can significantly reduce the risk of being triggered while utilizing the forums to send and receive support. This is indeed the motivation behind this helpful board on how to ensure that we all know how this is done when posting.

So, without further ado:

Below is a screen shot of what creating a new post looks like. It is generally the same for any and all forums:

See where it says 'Tags?' This is where you would put in your trigger warnings, separated by a comma. When you've typed in a comma, the previous word/warning will show up as highlighted, and will have an 'x' next to it, in the event you wish to delete/edit what you've put down. An example of what this looks like:

The item prefix you see at the bottom is just an added option - you do not have to do this if you do not want, but if you feel your post MOSTLY relates to ONE specific trigger, it will allow you to choose which one of the several is most important to mention. This will add a RED tag at the top of your post. Some members like to use, simply, 'Trigger Warning' as a prefix, and the rest of the tags will show up in black. Setting a prefix (red tag) is easy - just click on the prefix button and select one!

I've chosen 'trigger warning,' so this is my prefix. Your board will look like this when finished:

A helpful hint is to type out the body of your post first - this way you can determine which trigger warnings to include before submitting your finished board. Hopefully the images above have helped explain how to do it.

A couple other things to remember:

Trigger warnings can be used in ANY forum. There's nothing wrong with issuing a trigger warning, even when you're unsure of whether it's needed. It's better to be safe than sorry!

You can include a general/overall 'TW' in your board title if you wish - however, keep in mind that there may be some members who prefer specifics and may not wish to take the chance on reading further when the trigger is unknown.

One forum that you will likely HAVE to include a trigger warning is the 'Share Your Story' forum. This is one of our more sensitive areas and often, extreme details are shared. Please remember to place your TWs accordingly if you ever wish to post in there.

Please don't panic if you forget to add a specific trigger warning. Our very capable Moderators and Section Moderators can always add tags to your post if we feel something needs to be included. In the event a moderator is not available, you, as the author, are able to add tags to a post you created previously. See the plus sign at the end of the tags in the final image above? You will see this option whether or not there are existing tags on your post. Simply click this plus sign and you will be able to add or edit tags as you see fit. You will not be able to add or edit tags on someone else's post, though.

And - that's it. Any questions or comments on this or any other issue can be posted to Help Desk and will be responded to promptly.